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Trump Delays Attack on Iranian Energy Citing “Gift” of Tankers and Progress

Donald Trump cabinet meeting
Trump speaking during today's cabinet meeting announcing the "gift" of tankers

Published Mar 26, 2026 6:17 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

During a freewheeling cabinet meeting, Donald Trump revealed that the “present” the Iranians had given as a sign of legitimacy in the negotiations was to release oil tankers from the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said it was evident that negotiations were proceeding with the right people, and hours later, he again delayed potential attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure.

Trump had started the threats to attack electric plants in Iran, saying they would begin with the largest one and that just one shot could “put the lights out” if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened. The original deadline was Monday, and then he said there were talks and they were making progress. The strikes were delayed for five days, and late on March 26, in a social media posting, he announced a further pause, saying the talks “are going pretty well.” The new deadline is April 6 at 8 pm Eastern Time.

The assertions of progress on the talks come as there are repeated mixed messages from Iran, likely showing the disarray in the government after the three weeks of attacks and killing many leaders. Factions in Iran deny any talks, while other reports indicate counteroffers. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that they would review the U.S.’s 15-point plan submitted by Pakistan. 

Trump has declined to confirm who the United States is attempting to negotiate with, with some indications that Araghchi is seen as a possible entry into the government. Other reports said the U.S. is trying to negotiate with the speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is known to have access to the hardline Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Shortly after Israel announced today that it killed the commanders of the IRGC Navy, unconfirmed reports said Pakistan had asked for Araghchi to be taken off the target list, and, along with Ghalibaf, he will not be targeted to keep the channels for possible negotiations open.

 

 

As proof that the talks are with people in power, Trump announced in a press conference on Wednesday in the Oval Office that Iran had sent a “gift” as a sign of the legitimacy of the people involved in the talks. During today’s cabinet meeting, Trump revealed the gift was “eight big boats of oil” permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz. He said news reports confirmed the tankers, which he thought were Pakistani-flagged. Further, for a misstatement, he said the Iranians said they were sending through two more tankers for a total of 10.

Pakistan has been negotiating for days with Iran to get badly needed fuel supplies after starting economy measures in the country. Pakistan is now reported to be working as the intermediary with Iran.

TankerTrackers.com highlights that it is no new information, as the release of the Pakistani tankers had been spotted. It confirms that one Pakistani tanker, Karachi (IMO 9903413), did in fact depart via the Strait of Hormuz.

This news comes as the trickle of vessels continues, with some reported to be confronted with the Iranian “toll booth” for transit. Iran is also reported to be escorting some friendly tankers out of the Strait. Other nations are also reported to be in talks, including South Korea, which has also been dealing with potential shortages of products from the Gulf.

Maritime AI intelligence firm Windward reports today that “Strait of Hormuz transit remains constrained but is scaling, with five AIS-visible crossings and additional semi-dark movements." It believes Iran is formalizing a selective-access system with transits through its tightly controlled northern corridor near Larak Island rather than open navigation lanes in the Traffic Separation Scheme for the Strait.